A While To Wait
by pottrprincess
Summary: What happens after the battle when Ginny and Harry meet for the first time after fighting for their lives. oneshot, please read I know you love it, HxR chapter 3!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys I've always had this story on my mind and after seeing HP6 it needed to be let free! This might be just a one-shot but I might turn it into a mini-story, depends on how you guys review!**

**Summary- Ginny and Harry meet up after the Battle of Hogwarts. **

**Disclaimer- If I had a time machine I would go back in time and stop J.K from writing Harry Potter only so I could write it myself ;) but that isn't going to happen any time soon so it's still J.K.R's classic!**

**Ginny's POV**

I was physically and mentally and emotionally tired. I felt like a zombie as I sat in the Great Hall with what was left of my family. Ron had left with Hermione either to go to the Common Room or meet up with... Harry. I shivered when the mental image of him 'dead' in Hagrid's arms.

_I was fighting next to Hermione when I saw the parade of gleeful Death Eaters walking up from the forest, Hagrid in the front holding a small body (compared to him). As they got closer I received a better look at the body. I could see it was a boy, skinny and my heart broke, and then sunk when I saw His messy black hair and familiar feature, the features that hadn't left my mind for the past 6 years, especially so, though in the last 10 months. Everyone had stopped fighting, even Death Eaters who could have easily taken down the distracted and then Hermione and Ron and Neville and Luna and every other person who knew the limp body hanging from Hagrid's arms froze. Voldimort was sneering about his victory over the Boy Who Lived but the words just washed away. Growing up I had learned to hide my feelings, the stronger they were the more emotionless I appeared. Had someone taken their eyes from the limp body, they would've seen me dead as well. _

I relived that moment again and again. I knew I would do so for a very long time. I slowly got up from my place on the bench and told my mother that I would be sleeping in the dorms tonight. Hopefully Hermione or someone would be there so I wouldn't have to be alone. That was the last thing I needed right now, to feel more alone.

Like it was possible.

There had to be at least 1000 people in the castle tonight but it didn't matter if there were tens of thousands around me. Only a few could make the pain go away. Yes there was pain. And not just pain, there was anger at Harry who had left me in the dark for so long, hatred at every being who had defiled Hogwarts and killed Fred, sadness at everything, relief to having not to live worrying if everyone was going to live to see the next morning and lastly fear, at that I might have lost Him.

Somehow I had made it halfway to the Common room without even noticing. The stair case changed so I would be able to take a short cut up to the dorms. I passed tapestries and moving portraits that waved happily from their frames, clearly having heard what had happened not two hours ago.

One yelled out, "Why so glum missy? All should be celebrating on this glorious of evenings!" the picture was of a short balding man cloaked in bright colours. I murmured something about being tired without even looking at the man in the frame and continued to the Fat Lady, whom let me pass without a password or even some sort of small talk, I was somewhat thankful.

I stepped into the Common room. Everything was the same, the chairs in front of the fire, the tables where I used to finish up some home work with an attempt of trying to get Hermione to help or well finish my home work. If everything was the same, why did the world seem so different?

I hadn't realised I was standing in the middle of the room until I heard the portrait door open and close. I turned to see Ron and Hermione walking towards me with their arms around each other. It did somewhat lighten my mood, to see them finally together.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." I replied in a flat voice facing the couple.

"He said he was going to sleep in his dorm, like 20 minutes ago, I though you would've seen him." Hermione finished for him, only together for 6 hours and they're practically finishing each other's sentences.

Just peachy.

"I just got in, um hey do you guys mind if I had a bit of a private moment with him? If he's awake that is." I tried to make my voice sound less eager then I was feeling inside. I was still angry with him but I admittedly missed over the near year of his absence.

Ron's looked a bit put off by my request, probably thinking of what could happen if we were alone, but Hermione smiled and let me go, I gave her a quick hug before heading to Harry's dorm. I realised that I had missed Hermione as well in the past year. We had grown to be friends.

I reached Harry's old dorm and pushed the heavy oak door quietly. I looked around only to discover that Harry was the only one in the room. I slowly walked, trying not to make a sound, next to his bed and sat down on the bed across from him. All the anger I had felt towards him for what he had put me through this past year, hell! This past night! It vanished. Maybe it'll come back later.

In sleep Harry looked so frail and tired and young and skinny. Not what the last memory of him was at all. I knew he would find it difficult making the transition into a world where he didn't have to worry when his life is going to end or who might be trying to kill him every second of the day. I've also heard about retired Aurors who had seen horrific things during their line of work and had never been the same again. They needed to go through something that resembled a Psychiatrist in the Muggle world. And I wondered if Harry would be able to move on from this, his experience being so much worse than anyone else's'. I realized then that a few tears had escaped and quickly wiped then away with the sleeve of my dirty shirt. I was sickened at myself for showing weakness. Harry could wake up at any moment and then what would he think of me? As I thought his name he began to toss slightly and then started calling out in fear, though at first I couldn't make out any words but then it became clearer that he was reliving the nights events.

"No, no please no!" Harry said loudly, a pained look on his face. I would never say this out loud to one of my brothers or to any of my friends (maybe Luna) but the scene in front of me broke my heart. I quietly and quickly got up from the bed I was sitting on and squatted down, taking Harry's rough hand in mine, holding it close to me. He settled down after a few seconds and sighed something that sounded like my name. I didn't want to leave but after a few minutes I made up my mind. I peeled my hand out of Harry's tight grip, giving it a small kiss before getting up. Now see, my plan was to gracefully walk to the door and quietly close it, but I guess my luck had run out tonight. Because when I took my second step towards the door I got my foot stuck under the foot-post of the bed. I fell to the ground with a _thump_.

"Damn mother f-" I was interrupted by a movement I saw out the corner of my eye.

"Ginny?" Harry asked sleepily. He sat up and walked over to where I was, offering his hand to help me up. I took it.

There was awkwardness between us and he broke the silence.

"What are you doing here? What time is it?" He asked rubbing his eyes.

"It's about 12 midnight and I... I um came to see if you were ok and I needed to talk to you and then you were asleep and well you know the rest." I said, I couldn't believe I was stumbling over my words. I mean it was Harry I was talking to! He was one of the people I felt most comfortable with. Key word in that sentence; _was._

Harry nodded.

"Can we walk and talk? Maybe by the lake or something." I suggested gaining my composure and a good fraction of my earlier anger returned.

He agreed and we both walk out the door. It was a quiet walk, I mean what do you say when you've been apart for ten months and have just finished a battle? Are those new shoes? Did you do something different with your hair? No, I don't think so.

The moonlight reflected off the lake, everything was quiet and the ground smelled of death. I cringed and Harry took my hand.

"What do we need to talk about?" He asked turning to face me, not letting go of my hand as we entered a secluded area hidden in large billowing willow trees, if anyone decided to go out for a walk they wouldn't be able to see us even if they were right outside. Also they wouldn't be able to hear us because of the silencing charm I had just finished

"How could leave me in the dark like that?" I started off angrily as I jumped right into it. I let go of his hand and crossed my arms.

"Ginny I left so you could be-" Harry started nervously and I interrupted him, I knew this was how he was going to start off his speech about he's leaving me in the dark being the only way I could be safe and somewhat happy.

"Safe? Happy? Is that what you were going to say Harry?" My voice raised with each so as to when I reached his name I almost screamed it. He stood there for a second before he responded quietly, "Yes safe... and alive. You had to stay behind because,"

I cut him off again, "Because why? Because I'm girl? Because you think I'm weak? Because you don't want us to be together?" It was now he who cut me off this time and the awkwardness in his voice and the calm was gone.

"Firstly You had to stay behind because if Voldimort knew about us, you would be his number one target. You would be the selling point because I wouldn't let you die I would rather die! And do you _honestly _believe I'm sexist against you or that for one second I could ever think you weak?"

This was the strongest tone I've ever heard him use, it almost made me scared.

Almost.

"And what about the last one?" I sneered when I realized he had only answered two out of three of my theories. The third being the most important in my eyes, which I just noticed where watering and a tear slowly streaked, down my cheek, so much for my composure.

Something alighted in Harry's eyes when I finished my sentence. He took a step towards me so we were only a few inches apart and leaned in slightly.

"This is what I think." He breathed, and gently pulled me to him before kissing me. This was when my anger broke. I gasped quietly as the kiss intensified and the hand around my waist pulled me closer and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Oh god! Never had any of our kisses before now had been like this. I could tell he was putting as much emotion as possible into this kiss, there was anger and passion and relief and strength and about a million other feelings. But the strongest one was undeniably love. Harry had always been shy about any other feeling than anger and happiness. Even when we were together last year it was hard for him to show how he felt let alone say it. But the past months had changed him, I could tell in every little aspect about him. He had become more self confident. And oh! That showed in this kiss. I opened my mouth to him and almost moaned at the contact between our tongues. My hand tightened in his hair, I wasn't even sure when I had put it there. We broke apart panting and I noticed that somehow we had ended up on the grass with me lying on Harry. I rested my head on his chest and said, "You are quite opinionated."

He gave a quiet chuckle and began to stroke my hair.

"I missed you so much Ginny. Almost every night I would look and the Map and just watch the small dot with your name. I wondered if you could ever feel me there, that you would know I was thinking about you." Harry muttered softly, and I gave a watery smile.

"I missed you too. It was hard. I not only had to worry about those around me I could see and talk to. But to have to worry about the three of you, especially you, when I had no news, no way of knowing if you were alright, if you were even alive. When I saw you in the Room of Requirement I was so happy. And then, nearly four hours later I had to see you sprawled in Hagrid's arms and limp on the floor, dead. Or what I believed..." my voice cracked and I was ashamed of myself as I began to sob. I rolled off of Harry and wrapped my arms tight around my knees. Harry sat up and put his arm comfortingly around my shoulders and I turned my head away not wanting to meet his eyes.

"You must think I'm so weak." I whispered drying my face with my still dirty sleeve.

"No, no I don't." He paused, "I think you have been through so much and survived sanity and all. You don't have to be strong around me all the time. You shouldn't be scared to show what you feel around me." I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"You know, that goes both ways. You've been through so much, not just in the last twenty-four hours or even the past ten months, but for the past few years! Whenever you want to talk about it, you can." I replied pushing us down again. Our eyes met and then a few seconds after that so did our lips. This time it was sweet and almost sickly so. But I loved it! After a few minutes it really started to heat up and Harry's hand had its way to the skin on the small of my back and mine was slowly creeping up the front of his shirt. We broke apart a few minutes later, panting to catch our breath. I held him more tightly to me. I was just so happy to be with him, safe.

"What was it like?" I asked after a moment of silence. Harry looked down at me.

"What was what like?" He knew what I was asking but maybe was trying to avoid it. And he was back almost to square one. Trying to hide what he felt from me.

"Everything. When you were on the run, I also want to know what happened but even over the past few years, I can't even imagine what it was like to always be in fear but still trying to live as if nothing was going on." I said slowly.

"I did have to let off some anger on your brother and Hermione over the past few years, but being on the run and knowing that the next time you fall asleep could be the last time you do or the last time you'll ever see someone you love. Or maybe when you wake up everything you trusted in and are fighting for is one big step closer to being irreversible, that the death count of those you know will sky rocket, or perhaps everyone you know and care for or befriended will all be dead. There's also the stress of knowing that if you don't succeed then you let down thousands of people who've put so much faith in you. But I think the hardest part of it all was the walk into the Forest, when I was going to surrender myself. Death didn't scare me; it was what I was leaving behind. I saw you tending to a girl on the walk and all I wanted was for you to find out I was there and yell at me to stop, to not go and would have just held me. I also knew that if I did what I did you would hopefully have a better future, happy at least. The last thing I thought about was you." He paused, Harry's face was painfully expressionless. But mine betrayed me for the tenth time tonight by letting a tear slide down my cheek. He whipped it away gently.

"And as for what happened on the run, I'll tell you tomorrow ok? I'm tired." Harry said and leaned back with me. I knew it was going to be a while until everything was gonna be somewhat normal between us. I also understood it would take him longer to a gust to everything and to open up completely. But I would be patient, I would wait for him not matter how long, as long as he was with me. I couldn't bear if he had to go again or if he locked himself away, but I love him and I'll wait.

Alright so there's part 1 I might do another part with Harry and Ginny


	2. Author's Note for HermionxRon fans!

Hey all! By the end of the week I'm gonna have another post battle fic up but this time it's Ron an Hermione, might get a little lemon-y haven't decided yet. But keep an eye out for it! =D


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